As a growing number of prominent Democrats publicly call for President Joe Biden to bow out of the 2024 presidential race, many Americans are asking themselves a simple, yet complicated, question: what happens if Biden resigns?
In the latest episode of “FACTS,” Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro tackles that question and many others related to Biden’s age, cognitive decline, and apparent determination to remain in the presidential race despite a series of disastrous public appearances.
WATCH:
What happens if Joe Biden resigns?
The President faces three potential scenarios—and there are significant constitutional, legal, and social implications for all three. Watch my latest episode of “Facts” where I break down each possible outcome. pic.twitter.com/VMSRSDSEXg
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 19, 2024
In the episode, Shapiro outlines three potential scenarios that could play out before November 5:
What happens if Joe Biden withdraws from the ticket, but does not resign the presidency? What happens if Joe Biden resigns? What happens if Joe Biden dies in office?The first scenario, Shapiro explains, “would be politically the worst case scenario for the Democrats, who would leave the next nominee carrying Joe Biden’s baggage without ever assuming the power of the presidency.”
The main issue, as Shapiro points out, is that there is no way for the party to force Biden off the ticket if he is not ready to do so willingly. The delegates already pledged to him are bound by the “faithful delegate” rule, which the Democratic National Committee adopted in 1980 “to prevent delegates pledged to then President Jimmy Carter from defecting to Senator Ted Kennedy.”
Shapiro goes on to explain that Biden withdrawing from the race — but not resigning the presidency — would likely lead to chaos.
“If Biden steps down as presumptive nominee after securing the nomination but before the election, say, you know, like this week, the DNC would convene, select a new nominee. That process would involve consultation with Democratic governors, congressional leaders, party officials to ensure a smooth transition,” he says. “This decision could lead to significant internal conflicts within the Democratic Party, going all the way to the convention in Chicago.”
The other two scenarios are far less complicated, at least politically, Shapiro notes. If Biden were to resign the presidency, for example, the 25th Amendment would take effect and the transition would likely be much smoother.
“According to the Presidential Succession Act and the 25th Amendment, if Biden resigns the office of the presidency, then Vice President Harris immediately assumes the presidency,” Shapiro explains. “The process is clear cut. It has historical precedent. When Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 amidst Watergate, for example, Vice President Gerald Ford became president.”
A similar scenario would play out if Biden were to pass away while still holding office, much like the transition from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to President Harry S. Truman in 1945.
But however smooth such a transition might be, it would not be without its complications.
“The death of a sitting president always leads to a period of national mourning and a focus on maintaining stability and continuity. Presumably, Kamala Harris would at least attempt to accomplish just that,” Shapiro notes.
“The sudden change in leadership would, of course, totally upend the 2024 election altering campaign strategies. The Democratic Party would undoubtedly then unify behind Harris in order to maintain electoral momentum … In fact, if a past president dies, the public tends to again have a lot of sympathy for the new president. While some, however, might rally around a new president, Kamala Harris, we live in a very polarized time. Others might question her legitimacy or her readiness.”
